With the top runners graduated and off to college, Perry cross country is in the season of reworking.

With new coaches such as boys head coach Dan Pescador and plenty new assistant coaches for both boys and girls, puma cross country has their expectations set high this season. Pescador has coached at Highland High School and California State East Bay prior to coming to coach at Perry. “He brings a new attitude to the team,” states junior varsity runner Cade Burks, when asked about Coach Pescador.

Although top varsity runners such as Gunnar Albrecht and Taylor Selvin graduated with the class of 2014 there are many strong returners and according to senior varsity runner Gabby Ybarra, “There are plenty of underclassmen that can come in and take their place so it’s going to be good.” Senior varsity runner, Arielle Rosenblum, mentions that with the loss of strong runners that have graduated, “the team will not see it as a handicap but have it be like a motivation to work better.”

When asked about the loss of the seniors, Burks replies: “ There’s only three or four seniors on the boys’ team, we’re just getting started basically with this new group of kids, after the older generation left, there is a lot of growth to be made.” At the press conference Burks mentions that his personal goals for this season are to take the state championship.

Last season, boys cross country won city, defeating our rivals Basha cross country, while the girls placed fourth. Rosenblum’s goals for girls this year is to “take city for the first time, place top five at sectionals, and place top ten at state.”

When asked about the loss of top seniors who graduated, Ybarra mentions: “We lost a lot of top boys last year, but we are always getting a new set of fresh runners and fresh legs to come in and take their places, Cade’s a great leader and he will lead the team, they will have a great season, it’s hard to come back from losing that many seniors, but every team [has] gotta rebuild.”
Although in a tough division, and racing against many great schools, hopefully PHS Cross Country can reach their goals this year.